1. Less is more. People are generally less and less willing to read long content. With this in mind, use words sparingly and avoid long sentences - the readers will appreciate it.
 

2. Avoid jargon*. While sometimes jargon is unavoidable in a proposal or technical specification, for example – try using simpler language. Jargon is often inefficient – the eye slides right past it without really catching the meaning. Keeping things simple is the key to success.

*Jargon: special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are difficult for others to understand.
 

3. Write once, check twice. Proofread everything immediately after you finishing writing, and then again hours or, better yet, days later. Nothing is more embarrassing than a silly typo.  Where possible give yourself time to set your writing aside and come back to it later.
 

4. Create templates. More than likely you are going to have to produce similar content or answer similar questions on multiple occasions. Whenever you write a good letter, email, memo, or document that may be used again in the future, save it as a template – it will save time in the future! 
 

5. Answer the 5 Key Questions!?!. Your communications should answer all the questions relevant to your audience: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?  Try to anticipate any questions your readers might ask.
 

6. Don’t give too many choices. If you want to set a time for a meeting, give a single time and ask them to confirm or present a different time. At most, give two options and ask them to pick one. Too many choices often lead to decision paralysis, which generally isn’t good.

Find out more content like this in our section Career Advice.